Global architecture firm BIG together with engineering firm HNTB have won a competition to design a new baseball stadium for the Athletics Major League Baseball team in Las Vegas. 

The 33,000-capacity new athletics ballpark is shaped by its location and comprised of five overlapping shells. The ballpark will have "the world’s largest cable net glass wall."

Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and HNTB, the project will echo the vibrancy of the "Entertainment Capital of the World," exuding an outdoor feel with panoramic views of the city’s skyline.

The building will sit on 9-acres (36,421.708 square meters) on Las Vegas Boulevard between Tropicana Avenue and Reno Avenue. 

Image courtesy of BIG

Set to be a new home for the Athletics, the project is expected to be opened in spring 2028. The project builds on a longstanding collaboration between BIG and the Athletics, dating back to a different ballpark design presented in Oakland, California in 2018.

The new ballpark's roof evokes a baseball pennant, highlighted by five overlapping shells, paying homage to the sport.

"For players, these arched “pennants” will attenuate direct sunlight glare while welcoming indirect natural light through northern oriented clerestory windows," said BIG in its project description. 

The domed ballpark is also designed to feature "the world’s largest cable net glass wall," and the structure’s exterior metal cladding shimmers in the natural daylight and reflects the surrounding Las Vegas lights at night.

Image © Negativ 

"The resultant architecture is like a spherical armadillo"

"Our design for the new Vegas home for the A’s is conceived in response to the unique culture and climate of the city. Five pennant arches enclose the ballpark - shading from the Nevada sun while opening to the soft daylight from the north," said Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG. 

"A giant window frames a majestic view of the life of The Strip and the iconic New York New York hotel skyline. All direct sunlight is blocked, while all the soft daylight is allowed to wash the field in natural light."

"The resultant architecture is like a spherical armadillo - shaped by the local climate - while opening and inviting the life of The Strip to enter and explore," Ingels added. 

"In the city of spectacle, the A’s ‘armadillo’ is designed for passive shading and natural light - the architectural response to the Nevada climate generating a new kind of vernacular icon in Vegas," Ingels explained. 

"BIG's revolutionary design, created in collaboration with HNTB, represents a captivating ballpark concept, seamlessly blending innovation and technology with an enhanced fan experience. We are very excited to share the work of our design team with the entire Southern Nevada community," said John Fisher, Managing Partner & Owner, Athletics.

The project features an elevated outdoor plaza that connects to the bridges over Las Vegas and Tropicana Boulevards, directing fans to the ballpark’s main concourse, where a large glass atrium pulls the city into the venue. 

This entrance sequence will immediately orient fans in the ballpark, allowing views of the entire field and seating bowl upon entry while optimizing wayfinding and circulation.

Secondary north and south entrances are marked by “bouncing” arches to increase visitor accessibility and promote a connection to the outdoors. Once inside, fans are met with bright, open atria, which will also serve as multipurpose exhibition spaces to showcase international and local artists.

According to BIG, the Athletics Ballpark will offer "an immersive fan experience." 

"Its tiered design and intimacy, inspired by historic ballparks like Fenway and Wrigley - with split upper and lower bowls - bring fans closer to the action than traditional ballparks and provide clear sight lines from every seat." 

Image © Negativ

The ballpark is currently designed to feature an 18,000-square-foot (1,672-square-metre) jumbotron, which would make it the largest screen in Major League Baseball. It incorporates an air-conditioning system to distribute at the seats rather than from above, making cooling more efficient and energy conscious.

"Our new A’s Ballpark in Las Vegas is designed to celebrate baseball and become a destination for fans from all over the world. The ballpark will be a climate-controlled, state-of-the-art facility that will house a variety of events and guest experiences," said Daniel Sundlin, Partner, BIG.

"By opening up the roof structure, we’re capturing the energy of the iconic Las Vegas Strip and creating a unique synergy between its events and the surrounding city. We believe the new Vegas ballpark will push the boundaries for enjoying baseball and contribute to a more interactive and spectacular urban experience in Las Vegas," Sundlin explained.

"Las Vegas is where the imagination runs free, characterized by bespoke, one-of-a-kind experiences. The A's new ballpark will be filled with unique settings for the social interplay between, sport, spectacle and entertainment," said Lanson Nichols, Principal-in-Charge, HNTB. 

The Athletics Ballpark will have the potential to double as a venue for hosting concerts, conferences and other events. Future development is expected to surround the ballpark, including an onsite hotel and casino.

Project facts

Size: 33,000 capacity
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Client: Athletics
Collaborators: HNTB, Thornton Tomasetti, Henderson Engineers, CAA ICON, Mortenson, McCarthy, Atelier Ten, RWDI, Kimley-Horn, Systematica, WJHW, Jensen Hughes, HKA, WSP, FP&C, Chicago Flyhouse, Duray Duncan, Ed Roether Consulting, Morean, Negativ, Mir

BIG team

Partners-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Daniel Sundlin
Project Manager: Aran Coakley
Project Leaders: Frankie Sharpe, Jan Klaska, Ricardo Palma
Team: Ahmad Tabbakh, Alan Maedo, Bernardo Schuhmacher, Catrina Nelson, Don Chen, Douglass Alligood, Ema Bakalova, Hongye Wu, Hudson Parris, Jeff Tao, Margaret Tyrpa, Matthew Lau, Paul Heberle, Pooya Aledavood, Sunghwan Um, Thomas McMurtrie, Yuzaburo Tanaka

HNTB team

Principal-in-Charge: Lanson Nichols
Project Director: Brad Albers
Project Leaders: Emily Louchart, Jeff Goode
Team: Stephanie Schneidereit, Bryan Rincon, Phil Perkins, Donovan Brook, Jack Swezy, Jimena Dorador, Robbie Powell

Top image courtesy of BIG. 

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